The Fiji GovernmentÂ¹s refusal of a work permit for the editor-in-chief of The Fiji Times is a clear attempt to interfere in the newspaperÂ¹s editorial independence.

ThatÂ¹s the reaction of Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) president William Parkinson to the Fiji GovernmentÂ¹s decision to give Fiji Times editor-in-chief Russell Hunter 28 days to leave the country.

Mr. Parkinson said The Fiji Times is being victimized by the Government because it is doing what any decent news organization should be doing, informing the public without fear or favor.

But it seems this Government does not like scrutiny, Mr. Parkinson said.

Mr. Parkinson said the decision to refuse a renewal of Mr. HunterÂ¹s work permit clearly contradicts previous statements about investment and the employment of expatriates.

This comes in the wake of the government's dissatisfaction with services provided by Fiji TV.

Bogileka said the overseas companies are willing to perform better, cheaper and more efficiently.

"They believe they can provide more television services than what we currently have," he said. "It's unfair on the face of justice that Fiji TV has an exclusive license and fails to provide the public with an efficient service."

Though he did not want to disclose names or any details of the interested television companies, Bogileka said the government is looking at areas on which they can work to improve services to the public.

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (January 3, 2000 – Joyo Indonesian News/Kabar Irian)---Indonesia began the new year by ending the 30-year existence of its easternmost province, Irian Jaya.

In its place is the new province of Papua, a name change which provides the latest example of the high-risk appeasement policies practiced by Jakarta towards its restive outlying areas.

At the same time, President Abdurrahman Wahid declared his readiness to hold talks with the Free Papua Organization (OPM), apologized for human rights abuses and squashed any prospect of Papuan independence.

Mr. Wahid chose to experience the millennium's first sunrise in the province, which shares a land border with Papua New Guinea, where he delivered what is becoming his standard package of carrot and stick.

"We want to build a new Papua, just like you want to build a new Indonesia," tribal leader Ondofolo Theys Eluay told Mr. Wahid, claiming independence was the aspiration of the entire...

SUVA, Fiji Islands (January 6, 2000 – Fiji’s Daily Post)---Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in Fiji and its list of victims is growing every year, Health officials said yesterday.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, more than 12,000 people have been diagnosed with heart related diseases in the country.

This figure is part of the latest statistics available from the Ministry, which go back to 1995. The health officials have urged people to be careful about the types of food they eat, instead of shoveling in whatever comes onto the table.

Another cause of heart disease is stress, and officials have urged people to try and relax more, and exercise regularly, so the body is equipped to handle stress when it hits.

Compared with the number of reported cases of kidney and liver diseases, heart disease has claimed the largest number of victims over the past few years.

CANBERRA, Australia (January 4, 2000 – Post-Courier)---Australia’s role in the shaky peace process of the Bougainville conflict in PNG is likely to come under further challenge from independence supporters following new revelations found in previously secret Australian Government documents.

These documents reveal that Canberra considered the use of military force to overcome landowner opposition to the development of the Bougainville copper mine -- the source of restiveness that later became a full-blown rebellion that has yet to be fully settled after 11 years.

The previously secret 1969 Cabinet submissions were released to the public on the first day of the new year by the Australian Archives office.

They revealed that even before the construction of the Panguna copper mine in Bougainville island, the Australian Government knew of the mounting landowner opposition to the project and discussed the possible need to use military force to ensure it proceeded....

LAE, Papua New Guinea (December 29, 1999 – The Independent)---A dinosaur-like reptile has reportedly been seen by villagers in the Lae area recently.

Boboa station councilor Sangame Sangame told The Independent that villagers on two separate occasions saw the creature, on December 11 and again on December 12.

Councilor Sangame said that villagers traveling in a canoe saw the reptile wading in shallow water near Boboa, in the first sighting.

He said that a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pastor and church elder saw the creature on the second occasion not far from the first sighting.

Mr. Sangame said that the animal has a body as long as a dump truck and nearly two meters (over six feet) wide.

"It has a long slender tail and a long neck. The head is shaped like a cow's, has large eyes with sharp teeth as long as fingers. The reptile walks on two hind legs, which are as thick as coconut palm tree trunks. It has two smaller forelegs. The skin is similar...

Nazia Nisha, 16, of Waiqele, Labasa, drank half a glass of the weed-killer paraquat on New Year's Eve after she found out that she had failed the exam.

Divisional Police Commissioner Northern Jone Poese confirmed the incident. He said Nisha, a student of Waiqele Secondary School, could have been depressed after knowing that she had failed the examination.

Her father, Mohammed Kamal Shah, yesterday still could not believe his eldest child had died.

"I still call her to bring my tea, not realizing that she has gone away from us,'' he said.

Mr. Shah said he had not condemned his daughter for not passing the examination.

"The world does not end there. I had tried to make her feel better, saying she could be enrolled at the International Computer College,'' he said.

HONOLULU, Hawai‘i (January 5, 2000 – Honolulu Advertiser)---Hundreds of birds found dead on Kailua Beach (Oahu) on Sunday and Monday may have been victims of smoke and noise from New Year’s Eve celebrations, veterinary experts said yesterday.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said its forestry division received a call about the birds from a Kailua resident, and several residents reported finding mynahs and sparrows strewn along the beach in the days after the celebration.

Some speculated that the birds may have been scared out to sea by the noise of the fireworks and perished there. But the more likely theory, experts said, is that the birds suffocated from the thick smoke caused by millions of firecrackers and fireworks.

The smoke, combined with the stress of the noise and lights, could have overcome many of the birds, which have respiratory systems more sensitive than humans, said Eric Ako, a doctor of veterinary...

Nadi-based Internet travel specialists Pacificnavigator.com reports a solid opening performance and the early indicators suggest this Fiji based company is heading for an excellent first year.

Pacificnavigator.com is a new generation travels company operating via the Internet from their website at www.pacificnavigator.com. Detailed information about Fiji and other destinations in the South Pacific are displayed 24 hours a day in most major markers. Visitors are able to use this as a planning resource and can book and buy for any aspect of their holiday via forms provided on the website.

Since its opening in late 1999, the locally owned Pacificnavigator.com website has realized more than 70,000 hits accounting for 6,000 unique visitors to the site. The response to date has exceeded the company’s best forecasts....

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (January 4, 2000 – Samoa News)---House Speaker Aina Saoluaga T. Nua has asked Governor Tauese Sunia to deliver the annual State of the Territory Address during a Joint Session of the Fono scheduled for Monday morning, January 10th.

The Third Session of the 26th Legislature will convene at 10:00 a.m. that day.

"I trust this an effective engagement on working together to focus on a potential strategy to steer ASG (the American Samoa Government) towards prosperity and a strong government in the New Era," the Speaker wrote in his brief invitation.

When the second session of the legislature opened in July, Tauese did not appear. The governor does not usually attend mid-year Fono openings, but he does generally appear at January Fono openings.

In July, lawmakers were concerned that they were not being briefed on the government's status at a time when the media was reporting that ASG finances were in very...

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.